You may not be able to control your destiny, but you can call the shots on your environment  —  inside and out. Mayor Wharton dropped in on the Best Garden Store in Memphis, Midtown Nursery, and inspected the flora. “I’ve got four bags of fertilizer in the trunk of my car,” he said, and Fran Terhorst was ready to tell him the best use for it.

Terhorst is manager at the Cooper and Central location. “Midtowners are so loyal. They come here first because it’s a mom-and-pop operation,” she said. “People like the personal attention – it’s not like a big-box store. They bring their leaves, and we talk about their gardens.” A second location is open seasonally at 2794 Poplar.

If it’s your interior that needs attention, then look to Classic Cleaning by Moms, which won Best Housekeeping Service. Karen Friedman, co-owner with Yoshimi Graham, said the 10-year-old company’s motto is “Quality, detailed cleanup.”

She and Graham started the business as moms looking to make some extra money and have made sure the cleaners they hire – many of whom are moms – have the flexibility they need to be good parents. “We do good quality work and get the details, plus we’re trustworthy,” Friedman said.

Best Housekeeping Service

Winner: Classic Cleaning by Moms

Classic Cleaning by Moms was started by a couple of moms and they like to hire other moms to get your place cleaned up. After all, moms know a thing or two about that. And now they can boast a shiny Memphis Most award (but you’d still better straighten up your room).

382-8818; classiccleaningbymoms.com

Finalist:   2 Chicks and a Broom

278-7501; twochicksandabroom.com

Finalist:   Merry Maids

259-5005; merrymaids.com

Best Landscaping Service

Winner: Dan West Garden Center

Dan West Garden Center touts that it has “experts on everything that grows green in the Mid-South,” which must be why readers gave it a Memphis Most trophy. It started in 1952 at the Poplar location and has since added the spread in Eads, cultivating their expertise all over the place.

4763 Poplar Ave., 767-6743; 12061 Highway 64, 867-2283; danwestonline.com

Finalist:   TruGreen

860 Ridge Lake Blvd., 1 (866) 369-9539; trugreen.com

Finalist:   Lawn Solutions

11887 Wagon Cove, Arlington, 867-5626; lawnsolutionsinc.net

Best Pool and Spa Service

Winner:  Hawaiian Pools

Hawaiian Pools has been keeping cool for more than 40 years, building, servicing and renovating pools. Hawaiian is also big on training their folks so you can dip in confidence. Maybe their next project will be a pool in the shape of the Memphis Most “M.”

8537 Macon Road, 754-7058; 9947 Wolf River Blvd., Collierville, 853-3044; hawaiianpools.net

Finalist:  Memphis Pool

Several locations; memphispool.com

Finalist:   Smith Pool Supply

4151 Jackson Ave., 372-3639; 8238 Airways Road, Southaven, 662-393-4447; smithpool.com 

Best Roofing Service

Winner: Jolly Roofing

Jolly Roofing can handle your low slope, your steep slope and whatever else it takes to keep you covered. It’s a repeat Memphis Most win for the firm that’s licensed and bonded in 11 states in the Southeast.

711 Chaney Cove, Collierville, 854-5393; jollyroofing.com

Finalist: The Tin Man

3098 Connahbrook Drive, 395-8295; callthetinman.com

Finalist:  Ark Roofing Co.

4920 Pleasant Hill Road, 362-1007; arkroof.com

Best Furniture Store

Winner: Samuel’s Furniture and Interiors

Samuel’s Furniture and Interiors has been outfitting homes in the City of Good Abode since 1916 and the family-owned business has expanded to keep us comfy in our abodes with furniture and design services. It’s the largest special order furniture store in Memphis, and it must be doing something right to furnish its own shelves with a Memphis Most award.

5508 Poplar, 761-4998; 1615 N. Germantown Parkway, 624-9700; samuels-furniture.com

Finalist:   The Great American Home Store

5295 Pepper Chase Drive, Southaven, 662-996-1000; 7171 Appling Farms, 260-5900; greatamericanhomestore.com

Finalist:   Ashley Furniture Homestore

7951 Winchester Road, 752-6598; 2385 N. Germantown Parkway, 791-0346; ashleyfurniturehomestore.com

Best Hardware Store

Winner: Lowe’s

Lowe’s is the elephant in the room: You can’t help but notice it’s everywhere. But if you actually have an elephant in your room and need to paint it, bolt it, panel it or run electrical and plumbing, then most Memphians would say it’s the place to go.

Several locations; lowes.com

Finalist:   Stewart Brothers Hardware Co.

1340 Madison Ave., 726-1922; 7715 Summer Ave., 386-2340; stewartbros.doitbest.com

Finalist:   Germantown Hardware

2083 S. Germantown Road, 756-9522; germantownhardware.com

Best Garden Store

Winner: Midtown Nursery

Midtown Nursery prides itself on the personal touch, happy to discuss your garden issues and help you come up with solutions if you’re flummoxed by your flora.

2120 Central Ave., 272-5724; midtownnursery.wordpress.com

Finalist:   Lowe’s

Several locations; lowes.com

Finalist:   Dan West Garden Center

4763 Poplar Ave., 767-6743; 12061 Highway 64, 867-2283; danwestonline.com